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Vodafone set to transform London Stadium

VodafoneVodafone plans to transform the technology available in the London Stadium if it concludes a six-year £20m naming rights deal for the former Olympic Stadium.

The LLDC and Vodafone are locked in talks to strike a deal before the kick-off of the new season in September but the deal will average £3.3m per year which is under the £4m threshold to share revenue with West Ham. The Hammers share 45% of any deal over £4m per year which drops down to 35% if they are relegated out of the Premier League. Vodafone is thought to be insisting on a relegation clause reducing the amount they pay for naming rights if We suffer relegation during their twenty-year term.

Vodafone is planning leverage the power of the Internet of Things (IoT) technology to develop better-connected stadia for sports fans across Europe and the Middle East as part of a wider strategy.

In Turkey, senior executives from Vodafone Qatar, Vodafone Turkey and Turkish football club Besiktas JK signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) designed to accelerate the transfer of knowledge, expertise and technological know-how from Turkey’s first smart-stadium, the Vodafone Arena.

During a match played at Vodafone Arena, nearly 12,000 people used a total of 413 GB data through Vodafone SuperNet 4.5G with speeds up to 150 Gbps, and about 7,000 people used a total of 785 GB data through Vodafone SuperNet Wi-Fi with speeds up to 300 Gbps. The figures highlight how around the world, football fans are becoming increasingly digital and expect greater levels of connectivity as more and more people take to social media to post during games.

Whether we like it or not such technologies are set to become a fundamentally important element in the infrastructure/stadia and venues being built for football.

At every home game played by Turkish Super League side, Besiktas JK, more than 40,000 fans have access to Wi-Fi, 2G, 3G, and 4.5G ready broadband network connections, rich-content displays on the 850 video walls, and Vodafone Arena mobile application, as well as interactive HD screens that broadcast all the content that fans dream of – including interviews, match statistics and live updates on other games. Moreover, spectators and visitors on match days are offered an end-to end digital experience. Visitors are offered premium comfort during match days through location-based services based on Beacon technology that will be in use starting from the next season.

Vodafone is thought to keen to use the Besiktas model at the London Stadium from next season with free Wifi for all and super-fast data connections for Vodafone customers in the stadium.

With EE the primary sponsor for Wembley Stadium and O2 the primary sponsor for the former Millennium Dome the naming rights deal for the London Stadium makes sense to showcase their technology for up to 66,000 supporters.

 

About Sean Whetstone

I am Season Ticket Holder in West stand lower at the London Stadium and before that, I used to stand in the Sir Trevor Brooking Lower Row R seat 159 in the Boleyn Ground and in the Eighties I stood on the terraces of the old South Bank. I am a presenter on the West Ham Podcast called MooreThanJustaPodcast.co.uk. A Blogger on WestHamTillIdie.com a member of the West Ham Supporters Advisory Board (SAB), Founder of a Youtube channel called Mr West Ham Football at http://www.youtube.com/MrWestHamFootball, I am also the associate editor here at Claret and Hugh. Life Long singer of bubbles! Come on you Irons! Follow me at @Westhamfootball on twitter

9 comments on “Vodafone set to transform London Stadium

  1. 3.3 mil is an absolute scandal.

  2. Got to say I am pretty happy with Vodaphone. I was dreading that Indian car company getting the naming rights. Agree with Sleeps tho £3.3M pa seems low. People will complain of course but naming rights for stadiums are here to stay. Upton Park would’ve been named by now. Probably the Krispy Chicken Arena 😂😂

  3. As a London tax payer, any deal is better than no deal. If 3.3 is all that was on offer, then you take it and live to fight for more another day. Don’t understand the objection to an Indian company either. It’s a sign on a stadium which has a partnership with West Ham. Who gives a damn.

    • Clearly I do! Vodaphone sounds classy. Miranda Car Hire less so. Armitage Shanks was another I wasn’t keen on but I hear they are in talks with Tottenham.

  4. After this season it should be called ‘The Wasted Opportunity Arena’

  5. great….when we lose I can post it on social media in double quick time…

    Im more concerned about the quality of the football than the quality of the wifi !!!

  6. sorry but tell them to stick it where the sun dont shine this deal is for the stadium owners nothing at all to do with west ham. if we do get relegated and i,m sure we will not what the hell has it to do with Vodaphone.
    its supposed to be a multi use stadium and thats what they should be selling it on not west ham if we are to be part of there deal then whats in it for west ham. if the club are not allowed a voice in the matter then you cant use the club as an excuse to get a better deal
    sorry for the doom and gloom guys but it is a valid point imho

    • Vodaphone sponsoring the stadium has absolutely everything to do with West Ham. We are on tv every week. Vodaphone will be mentioned every time that West Ham appear on tv and everytime our home games are mentioned on Sky, BBC and other tv and radio stations. Vodaphome wouldn’t pay £3.3m a year to sponsor the stadium for a 2 week athletics meeting. The reason that we got a cheap rent is that we waived the naming rights and food/drink income. So… you are incorrect.

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